Page 4 - Green Builder March-April 2021 Issue

EDITOR’S NOTE By Matt Power

The Inside Scoop Editor-in-Chief
Caption. Text

Another Reason Every

Product Decision Counts

Any manufactured item we purchase matters, now more than ever.

BY MATT POWER
Y BROTHER MITCH
works in the hard
sciences. He’s one of
M those wonky people
you never hear of, who’s spent
years counting ancient pollen
spores from Siberia and looking
at core samples from the last Ice
Age. He’s embedded in the world
of earth science.
For years now, Mitch and I have
been discussing something called
the Atlantic Meridional Overturning
Circulation (AMOC). It’s unknown CREDIT: NASA
to most people, but it has a huge
impact on our lives, here in the U.S.
and in Europe. And it’s a variable, he says, that’s vastly underestimated heating and cooling—systems compatible with renewable energy,
in terms of its potentially devastating impact on our current way of life. durable materials that don’t need regular replacement.
A new report from European We still face a few technical hurdles. For example, it’s more
researchers suggests that he may complex to heat homes without some fossil fuel combustion,
be right. These critical ocean cur- using, for example, a combination of “active” solar thermal and
rents are slowing down, and doing solar PV panels, along with passive solar, high-efficiency air source
so much faster than anticipated or ground source heat pumps. It’s harder, yes, but possible, and
by projections (isn’t that always perhaps essential, to move in this direction. Even if promising new
the way?). As they slow, scientists research on fusion generation yields success, prepping our homes
predict even faster sea level rise to minimize energy use must commence now.
on the Atlantic coast, plus mas- If we can land a robot on Mars, and create vaccines in six months,
sive storms and extremes of heat we can pivot toward zero impact housing, and do it fast enough to
and cold not seen before in our save human civilization from the self-induced backlash of business
lifetimes. Within a few decades, as usual. Already, as the COVID-19 disaster begins to wane, global
we could pass the “tipping point” where the movement of the cur- CO levels have shot past the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. It doesn’t
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rents collapses into complete instability. We don’t want to go there. look good for weather stability.
So what can we do? First, we can stop acting surprised when Texas But we must stay on task, with a laser-like focus on sustainable
freezes solid, or a giant chunk of Antarctica breaks off. We need to housing and technology. That means picking the right products, the
cut global pollution emissions dramatically. For the building industry, right materials and the right designs to steadily lower the polluting
that means moving quickly toward zero-energy-plus housing. We impacts of every house, apartment or community upon our fragile
need airtight, super-insulated homes, with all-electric appliances, global ecosystems. GB

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